Drought claims Portola Redwoods campers

Hikers walk along the Old Tree Trail at Portola Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains west of Palo Alto. The easy half-mile trail ends at the ancient Old Tree, a coast redwood that stands 297 feet tall. (Tom Mangan -- Bay Area News Group)

BOULDER CREEK &GT;&GT; It may not rival the Dust Bowl migration, but campers at Portola Redwoods State Park packed up their gear Wednesday and headed out, another casualty of California's growing drought.

State officials have shut down camping at the remote park and begun handing out refunds, citing the dwindling Peters Creek. It is the second park in the Santa Cruz Mountains to close to overnight guests because their stream-dependent water supplies have all but dried up.

"We're issuing refunds to everybody that had reservations," said California State Parks Mountains District Superintendant Mike McMenamy, adding that campers are being contacted and notices are posted at the park. "We did our best to implement it in a staged closure."

Parks officials noticed weeks ago that Peters Creek was critically low, one of numerous small streams throughout the mountains affected by the dry weather. Portola Redwoods stopped offering showers several weeks ago, which reduced water use by about half.

It wasn't enough. The park remains open to day-use hikers, but State Parks officials warn there is no drinking water on site, and the nearest store is miles away.

A popular San Mateo County park also has been hit by the drought. Memorial Park closed to camping in June when its water supplies ran dry. It also remains open for day use and also has no drinking water, but won't be re-evaluated until the end of the summer camping season, in October. Carla Schoof, San Mateo County community programs specialist, said the county is trying to accommodate families and groups elsewhere.

Drought spreads

Last week, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported a huge leap in how much of the state is under the driest conditions: 58 percent of California is now enduring "exceptional" drought. As recently as January, none of the state was in that stage.

Santa Clara County parks have not been hit with the same water problems, though they are rationing water. However, Coyote Lake closed to boating this week due to low water levels.

"The only areas that are really affected for us because of the drought are the boating reservoirs," parks department spokeswoman Tamara Clark said.

The situation at other local parks depends on their water setup. Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the county's most well-known park, has its own reservoir. At Butano State Park, however, parks officials are bringing in chemical toilets to cut down water use.

That's true throughout the state, with several state parks now impacted. Guests at the iconic Heart Castle will find something William Randolph Hearst would never have sanctioned — the Neptune Pool has been drained, with restrooms closed to save water and Port-o-Potties and hand sanitizer offered.

The same setup can be found at D.L. Bliss State Park, a popular Lake Tahoe campground where showers are also unavailable. State Parks spokesperson Vicky Waters said the water situation is continually being monitored.

"Our main priority is to make sure we have drinking water at campgrounds, and when we no longer have that available that's when we have to take things a step further," Waters said.

Water use at the state's 10 most water-dependent parks has been reduced 37 percent, Waters said. While no other closures are imminent, things can change if conditions grow more dire.

"At this point we're not seeing that any other campgrounds are headed that way," Waters said. "But it's kind of on a day-by-day basis."